Help!
by sues2002
Summary: Takes place prior to


Help!  
  
I've had this for awhile, but never had time to type it up. Takes place prior to "Bring it on Home". Donna helps Kelso, Eric helps Fez, Hyde helps Jackie....sort of! Please let me know what you think.  
"Uh, Jackie." Hyde said groggily, sitting up in his bed.  
  
"What?" she mumbled, burying her face in the pillow and pulling his arm back around her.  
  
"It's after midnight. We fell asleep." Hyde stared at Jackie who did not respond.  
  
"Jackie," he called again, gently shaking her.  
  
This time she sat up. "Steven," she said irritated, "if I don't get the proper amount of sleep, how am I going to hold onto my title as prettiest girl at school?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, sleep's good...in your own bed." Hyde said, nudging her out of bed.  
  
Jackie looked around, suddenly realizing where she was. "Oh my gosh, Steven, we fell asleep," she whined. "Why didn't you wake me up?"  
  
Hyde rolled his eyes. "come on, I'll walk you home."  
  
"Walk? Why can't you just drive me?" Jackie asked as they left his room. "I'm too tired to walk."  
  
"I'd love to drive, Jackie, but if Red and Kitty hear my car pull out of the driveway, they will wake up."  
  
"Ok, we'll just tell them we fell asleep." Jackie said rationally.  
  
"Great!" Hyde responded sarcastically, grabbing his coat. "Then, we'll both sit in the kitchen and listen to Red threaten to kick my ass, while Kitty bakes brownies and lectures us on the perils of boy/girl relations prior to wedlock. It'll be swell."  
  
"Oh," Jackie said, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the door. "Maybe you should just walk me home." ---  
  
"Donna, thank god you're here." Kelso said as he entered the basement the next day.  
  
"Kelso, how many times do I have to tell you, you can not have my mom's phone number in California." Donna shook her head.  
  
"First of all, when someone says please, it's really rude to refuse them." Kelso said, plopping onto the couch next to her.  
  
"Kelso, can you please...." Fez started to say.  
  
"No, Fez," Kelso interrupted, "I'm busy talking to Donna." He turned back to Donna. "Second of all," he continued, "that's not what I wanted."  
  
"Ok, this is against my better judgment, but what do you want?" Donna asked cautiously.  
  
"Well, here's the thing. Ever since Ms. McGee and I stopped doing it, my grades in math seem to have dropped dramatically. I mean, even Forman did better than me on the last math test, man. That's just embarrassing." Kelso explained, as Fez nodded in agreement, and Donna rolled her eyes.  
  
"So......." Donna wondered, impatiently.  
  
"So, I thought to myself, who can I get to help me with this math crap? Obviously Eric is out, hell would freeze over before Hyde cracked a book, I doubt I could understand Fez's instructions, and Jackie's a year behind us." Kelso continued.  
  
"Oh, no." Donna said fearfully.  
  
"That's right, study buddy." Kelso laughed.  
  
Fez laughed too. "Ok, now Kelso, can you please tell me where Eric is? I need him to help me....do something." Fez said suspiciously.  
  
"Oh, he's still at school with Jackie and Hyde." Kelso replied quickly. "Having a car and not being able to use it must really suck, man. I mean, if Eric was allowed to drive the Vista Cruiser to school, he wouldn't be stuck waiting for Hyde to get out of detention to get a ride, like a loser." Kelso smirked.  
  
"Why didn't you give him a ride?" Donna asked angrily.  
  
"Maybe that's why he was running after the van and waving." Fez said to Kelso.  
  
Kelso shrugged. "Maybe, but you know what's really funny? I just burned him twice, and he wasn't even here!"  
  
"If he's not around to hear it, is that even really a burn?" Donna questioned. All three of them sat in silence pondering it. ---  
  
"Geez, man, I thought you'd never get out of there." Eric whined, jumping off the hood of Hyde's car. Jackie, who was sitting next to him, slid off and ran over to give Hyde a quick kiss. He smiled at her, then looked at Eric.  
  
"Forman, why didn't you just get a ride with Kelso?" Hyde asked climbing into the driver's seat.  
  
"Wow, Hyde, you're a genius. Why didn't I think of that?" Eric asked sarcastically from the backseat. "The dillhole left without me."  
  
"I'm sure it was an accident. He is dumb." Jackie consoled.  
  
"True, but you'd think Fez would have told him, seeing as how he was smiling and waving to me from the passenger's seat." Eric said, thinking about it. "I'm gonna kick both their asses when we get home."  
  
"No you're not." Hyde laughed.  
  
"Yeah, but believe you me, they're going to get a pretty stern scolding when I see them." Eric said angrily. ---  
  
"So, Donna," Kelso said sitting down at her kitchen table. "Tell me something. Who is this Pythagorean, and what the hell's a theorem?" Kelso asked as he opened his book.  
  
Donna smiled as she grabbed two sodas from the fridge and brought them over to the table. "Let's start with the basics." She took a piece of paper and drew a triangle on it. "Can you tell me what this shape is?" she asked, jokingly.  
  
Kelso snatched the paper from her hands. "I am not an idiot, Donna." He stared at the paper. "It's a triangle, right?"  
  
Donna looked at him in disbelief. "Yes, it's a triangle," she answered sadly. "This is going to be a long afternoon." ---  
  
Fez was sitting on the couch when Eric, Jackie, and Hyde walked into the basement.  
  
"Fez!" Eric yelled. "Why the hell did you guys leave me at school?"  
  
"What?" Fez said, acting innocent.  
  
"Listen, buddy, you waved at me, ok? I know you saw me." Eric said, getting a popsicle from the freezer.  
  
"I told you foreigners lie." Jackie said, sitting on Hyde's lap.  
  
"Oh, shut up, midget." Fez said, glaring at Jackie. "Kelso made me do it, that sonofabitch." Fez defended himself to Eric. "I begged him to stop the van."  
  
Eric stared at him skeptically. Fez continued. "It wouldn't even matter if Hyde had just not gotten a detention. Then you could have left on time."  
  
Eric shook his head, then turned to look at Hyde. "What'd you do this time, anyway?"  
  
"Nothing, man. I was participating in class and everything. All I said was that pretty soon, we won't even be able to take a crap without big brother watching."  
  
Jackie grimaced. "Well, first of all, ew. But, that is strange. I mean, if you were just talking about the government in class and made a comment, I don't see why you would get in trouble."  
  
"Oh, we weren't talking about the government. Mr. Blumberg said he was me cutting gym yesterday. That's when I made the big brother comment." Hyde shrugged. "He's been out to get me since day one, man."  
  
"So, Eric, now that you are here, I have to talk to you." Fez said, changing the subject.  
  
"Ok." Eric said looking at Fez. Fez looked at Jackie and Hyde, then back at Eric. "Um, Fez," Eric said impatiently, "not that you need my permission to speak to me, but by saying 'ok', I just gave it to you."  
  
"Not now." Fez said nodding his head towards Hyde and Jackie, not very inconspicuously.  
  
"Hmmm, what could Fez possible have to say to Eric that he doesn't want us to hear, Jackie?" Hyde said playfully.  
  
"I don't know, Steven, but lets leave the room and pretend we're not going to listen in." Jackie said standing up. Hyde followed her back to his room.  
  
"Good." Fez said when they left. "Now that we're alone and no one can hear us, I have a problem."  
  
Eric smiled smugly. "And of course you would choose me to confide in. I am the problem-solver of the group. What's going on?"  
  
"I need woman advice." Fez said nervously.  
  
"Well, you've come to the right place." Eric said confidently.  
  
"Ha!" Jackie and Hyde yelled from Hyde's room.  
  
Eric ignored them. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"I want to tell Nina that I love her." Fez blurted out quickly.  
  
"Um, Fez, you do realize that the first time I tried to tell Donna I loved her, I said 'I love cake', right?" Eric cautioned.  
  
"That's exactly why I'm asking you. You messed up so badly, you'll be able to tell me exactly what I should avoid doing." Fez responded happily.  
  
Eric dropped his head back in disgust for a minute, then looked at Fez. "Ok," he said finally, "we are men on a mission."  
  
"A mission of love." Fez added.  
  
"Just come with me." Eric said frowning at Fez before heading upstairs with Fez behind him.  
  
"So, Fez is going to declare his love to Nina." Hyde said emerging from his room.  
  
"Yep." Jackie said, following him over to the couch. "Kind of a let down."  
  
"Yeah," Hyde agreed. "I was expecting nudity and livestock to be involved." He said as Jackie laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. ---  
  
"But Donna," Kelso screamed, "you said that if I got the next problem right, you would let me touch your boobs."  
  
"No, Kelso, you said that." Donna yelled back, slapping his hands.  
  
"What's the difference?" Kelso asked confused.  
  
"Just do your math, dumbass." Donna said, trying to be strict like Red.  
  
"Wow, you're getting good at that," complimented Kelso.  
  
Donna smiled. "Thanks, I've been practicing. I figure it will help me fit in once Eric and I get married."  
  
Kelso nodded approvingly. Then Eric walked in. "Hey, Donna. Hey, dillhole who left me at school when he knew I needed a ride home."  
  
"Hi, Eric." They both replied in unison.  
  
"Oh, I also burned you twice while you were gone." Kelso proudly added.  
  
"Does that even count as a burn?" Eric asked, thinking about it.  
  
"We don't know." Donna answered. "So, what's up?"  
  
"I need your help with Fez. We need you to pretend to be Nina." Eric stated.  
  
"Well, as fun as that sounds...." Donna said slowly, weighing out her options, "I have to help Kelso with his math."  
  
"Ok, I guess I'll have to pretend to be Nina." Eric gulped at the thought.  
  
"What about Jackie?" suggested Donna.  
  
"She's asleep....and quite frankly, I like her better that way." Eric said as he turned to leave. "Oh, hey Kelso, man, sorry you crapped out on that last test. I mean, they said even an idiot would do well, but I guess not." Eric laughed, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Why does he have to be so hurtful?" Kelso asked, pretending to be offended.  
  
Donna shrugged. "Beats me. Probably has nothing to do with you leaving him at school on purpose."  
  
"Then why, Donna?" Kelso said, thinking hard.  
  
"It's going to be a long night." Donna emphasized again. ---  
  
"Jackie." Hyde called as he walked into his room.  
  
"Can't you see I'm trying to sleep? Being pretty and popular is tiring!" Jackie said rolling onto her back to look up at Hyde. He sat on the bed next to her.  
  
"Ok, it's not that tiring. Now, listening to someone talk about being pretty and popular....that's tiring." Hyde said, playfully shoving her with his shoulder. "What's going on with you?"  
  
Jackie stared back at him for a minute, debating on whether or not she should tell the truth. She sat up. "Well, I just haven't been sleeping very well."  
  
"Why not?" Hyde asked, slightly concerned.  
  
"I don't know." She shrugged. "Look, lets just go get something to eat." She began to climb out of bed, but Hyde grabbed her waist and pulled her back down.  
  
"Ok, Jackie, I'm all for keeping stuff to yourself, but I know for a fact that you aren't. You're always blabbing about something. And yet now, there have been prisoners of war more willing to give up information than you."  
  
Jackie rolled her eyes. "It's just really quiet and empty at my house. My mom's still not back, so after the housekeeper leaves at 9, no one is there."  
  
"Let me get this straight, you had to give up your ski cabin, but you still have a maid?" Hyde asked in bewilderment.  
  
"Steven!" Jackie yelled, hitting his arm.  
  
Hyde smiled. "I'm just kidding....sort of."  
  
Jackie returned his smile. "Things will get better soon." She said, lightly kissing his lips.  
  
"Fine, but until they do, we need to figure something out for you. You can't be home alone every night." Hyde said seriously. "But I'm starving, so we'll think after dinner." ---  
  
"La la la," Eric sang in a girly voice as he skipped around his living room. "I'm Nina...I work at the DMV...." Eric stepped out of character. "You know what I just realized, Fez? That's all I know about Nina." He thought about it some more, then sat on the couch. "Ok, now tell me you love me."  
  
"I love you, Eric." Fez said smiling.  
  
"NO!" Eric yelled. "I'm Nina, remember. I just skipped and sang."  
  
"Oh. Nina doesn't do that." Fez corrected him.  
  
"Whatever," Eric waved his hands. "Come on, you need practice."  
  
Just then, Kitty walked in from the kitchen. "Eric, dinner will be ready in 5 minutes. I set a place at the table for Fez."  
  
"Thanks Miss Kitty." Fez said happily.  
  
"Ok, and Eric, honey, despite what your father says, you make the worst girl ever." Kitty laughed.  
  
"I skipped and sang." Eric said, defending himself.  
  
"Well, that's just....odd." Kitty said. "Now, I hope you don't mind that I overheard everything from the kitchen, but Fez, you are going about this all wrong. You can't practice professing your love. It has to come from the heart."  
  
"So, what should I do?" Fez asked, pushing Eric out of the way to get closer to Kitty.  
  
"Honey, when the time is right, you will just know. Then you say whatever is in your heart. Planning it out takes away the romance."  
  
"Can we not talk about this crap at dinner time?" Red asked, as he walked through the living room and into the kitchen.  
  
"Thanks, Miss Kitty, you are right." Fez smiled as Kitty patted his arm and walked into the kitchen. Then he turned to Eric. "Well, Eric, it seems I do not need your help after all." Fez said looking relieved.  
  
"Fine, but when you go to speak of your undying love and start talking about cake, don't come crying to me." Eric said indignantly, heading to the kitchen for dinner. Fez quickly followed.  
  
Both boys were surprised to see Kelso sitting at the table. "What happened to the study session?" Eric said sitting down.  
  
"Donna kicked me out. Your girlfriend is touchy, Eric." Kelso said, heaping mashed potatoes onto his plate.  
  
Eric sighed. "What did you do?"  
  
"Nothing, man. I just tried to explain to her that in the world of geometry, triangles are not unlike boobs." Kelso looked around the table at everyone, who was staring at him in disbelief. "Then she told me to go home. She said I didn't need to know about math anyway."  
  
"That's true honey. You have other skills....I hope." Kitty laughed, as she walked to the basement door to call Hyde and Jackie for dinner. ---  
  
After dinner, Jackie and Hyde went back to Hyde's room. Hyde sat on the bed, and Jackie sat next to him, hooking her leg over his. "Ok, Jackie," he said patting her thigh, "I thought about, and I don't know what to do."  
  
"You know what, Steven, the fact that I told you makes feel better already." Jackie said, rubbing his arm. "Really?" Hyde asked, surprised.  
  
"No. I'm just trying to be nice." Jackie smiled.  
  
"Maybe we should talk to Mr. and Mrs. Forman." Hyde suggested.  
  
"No, Steven, no one else needs to know. It's privileged information. Besides, I can handle it." Jackie said firmly.  
  
"Well, you can't keep going home alone every night." Hyde said. "I totally understand you not wanting anyone to know, but someone has to take care of you."  
  
"That's what I have you for." Jackie said sweetly, kissing his cheek. "I told you I didn't want the Forman's to know. I don't need people feeling bad for me." Jackie said defensively. "Look, Steven, I am happy that you care, but things will really be ok. My mom will be home soon."  
  
Hyde still looked worried, even after Jackie kissed him again. "Well, I know you can handle it, but if you ever want to come over late at night, like around 12:30 after the Forman's go to bed, I'm here."  
  
"Thanks, but I'm fine." Jackie said, as she moved onto his lap and began kissing him. ---  
  
Later that night, 12:37am to be exact, Hyde heard the knob on his door turn. Before he could turn on the light to see who it was, he felt a little nudge as someone slipped in bed next to him.  
  
"Jackie?" he asked.  
  
"No, it's the tooth fairy," she responded, pulling some blankets over her.  
  
"Wow, nice sarcasm." Hyde said wrapping his arms around her. "You know this is my bed, right?"  
  
"Actually, I think we'll be sharing it for awhile." Jackie said, snuggling closer to Hyde for her much needed beauty rest. 


End file.
